Beltway Blog — Bennet in China: Colorado needs to get more competitive with exports

WASHINGTON — Just back from a Congressional trip to China, Sen. Michael Bennet said Thursday that the country’s aggressiveness in trying to create an exports market means Colorado needs to do more to leverage assets like beef or consumer electronics.

China is trying to export everything, from electronics to solar panels. The country’s Gross Domestic Product is expected to surpass the United States’ by 2015 or 2016, and “there is peril in that and there’s potentially a huge upside in that,” Bennet said.

“It’s going to be a challenge over the next decade to make sure we have healthy trade,” he said.

Colorado now ranks 33rd in the country in exports to China, with about $550 million worth of exports a year, Bennet said.

Bennet pointed out that China didn’t make solar panels 15 years ago and now the country is exporting $15 billion worth of them a year.

Bennet took the trip with nine other Senators, including Majority Leader Harry Reid. They talked to business, trade and political leaders and Bennet said the delegation told the political leadership that the United States is committed to freedom of speech and human rights.

Human rights advocates are pushing the Chinese government to investigate a recent spate of violence, where more than a dozen foreign journalists were intimidated or hurt by uniformed Chinese police.

Lynn Bartels thinks politics is like sports but without the big salaries and protective cups. The Washington Post's "The Fix" blog has named her one of Colorado's best political reporters and tweeters.

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.